Fixture carrier construction



Dec. 12, 1961 E. MORRIS ET AL 3,012,250

FIXTURE CARRIER CONSTRUCTION Original Filed July 13, 1956 5424 l. Maze/s 65026-5 LEE [yer/c5 I N V EN TORS flrraeusys.

United States Patent 3,012,250 FIXTURE CARRIER CONSTRUCTION Earl L. Morris, Los Angeles, and George L. Curtice,

Downey, Calif., assignors to Acorn Engineering Company, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Original application July 13, 1956, Ser. No. 597,652, now Patent No. 2,903,712, dated Sept. 15, 1959. Divided and this application Mar. 30, 1959, Ser. No. 802,913

7 Claims. (Cl. 4-170) The present invention relates generally to carriers for the support of plumbing fixtures on a wall of a room and is particularly directed to means whereby such a fixture, exemplarily a lavatory, may be rigidly and firmly supported and maintained in position.

The invention contemplates the use of a steel or other n'gid metal mounting plate fixed to the vertical structural members such as studs in the Wall of a building. By the use of such a mounting plate, the weight of a single plumbing fixture such as a lavatory may be distributed over a number of studs or other vertical structural members. The mounting plate desirably includes a multiplicity of openings extending therethrough by which various mounting members may be fastened to the mounting plate and supported thereby. One of such mounting members desirably provides a firm anchor for an outwardly extending arm for concealed arm type of support of a lavatory. In the present construction such an arm includes a novel combination of elements by which the lavatory may be accurately leveled during installation and may, by the same mechanism, be frictionally clamped and positively locked to the arm and thus maintained in its desired position. Mounting members may also be fastened to the plate for supporting carrier arms according to the exposed arm type of construction. When the present invention is used for exposed arm construction, the arm so used and disclosed hereinafter facilitates accurate adjustment of the arm and final leveling of the fixture supported thereby from the face of the finished wall.

This is a division of application Serial No. 597,652 filed July 13, 1956, for Fixture Carrier Construction, since matured into Patent No. 2,903,712 on September Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinafter by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view, partially in section, showing an exposed type arm in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the structure of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view taken on line IIIIII of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line IVIV of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4 show a preferred use of the present invention in connection with an exposed arm construction. A mounting member indicated generally at 120 is attached to a mounting plate 14 by suitable fastening members 122 extending through openings formed in the upper and lower ends of the mounting member 120 as well as through selected openings in the mounting plate 14. The mounting member 120 includes a pair of vertically aligned threaded openings extending therethrough indicated at 124 and 126, and may also be provided with a third threaded bore extending therethrough indicated at 128, the latter named bore being displaced laterally from the bores 124 and 126 and being disposed approximately midway therebetween.

The mounting plate may be provided with a number of holes extending therethrough, the holes being aligned in four separate rows 18, 20, 22 and 24. The holes are desirably horizontally elongated as shown (FIG. 3) and holes adjacent rows 18 and 20, and in adjacent rows 22 and 24, are desirably staggered to facilitate flexibility in attachment of the plate to structural members of varying horizontal spacing. The mounting plate 14 is fastened securely to the posts or vertically extending, horizontally spaced structural members 10 by suitable means such as bolts 33 and 34 extending through openings 18 and adapted to be secured to a U-shaped clip 28 adjustably and slidably positioned around post 10.

Studs 130, 132 and 134 are threaded respectively into the bores 124, 126 and 128 of the mounting member 120, the threaded studs being retained in position by nuts 131, 135 and 133 respectively. An exposed arm is indicated generally at and desirably L-shaped as seenin section (see FIG. 4), and including a relatively deep vertical portion 142 and a somewhat narrower horizontal portion 144, the two portions being formed integrally as shown. A mounting flange is provided in the arm 140 and is indicated generally at 146. This mounting flange extends perpendicularly to both the sides 142 and 144 of the arm 140 and is parallel to and spaced a substantial distance outwardly from the inner edges 143 and 145 of the vertical and horizontal walls respectively of the arm. The edges are abuttable against a finished wall 148 of any desired construction.

The mounting flange 146, as is best seen in FIG. 4 is provided with vertically elongated openings 150, 152 and 154, the vertical elongations permitting vertical adjustment of the arm relative to the studs 130, 132 and 134,

as will be understood. These studs are fastened to the flange by means of suitable fastening members such as nuts 156, 157 adapted to clamp the flange 146 therebetween.

It is particularly to be noted that the mounting flange 146 is spaced outwardly from intersecting edges 143 and 145 by a substantial distance, which in a typical construction is preferably at least about two inches. By this construction access is facilitated to the inner nuts 156 when mounting the present arm into position by means of at least one exterior access opening between the mounting flange 146 and the finished wall 148. Thus a person doing the installation of an arm according to the present invention may thread the inner nuts 156 onto the studs 130, 132, 134, positioning the inner nuts in approximately correct location. The arm 140 is then mounted into position, with the outer ends of the threaded studs extending through the elongated openings in the mounting flange 146 as previously described. The outer nuts 157 are then placed in position, and it will be seen that the person may easily apply a wrench to the inner nuts 156 even after the arm has been mounted in position as just described, this by reason of the outward spacing of flange 146 from the wall. Furthermore, because of the fact that the stud 134 is offset laterally from the studs 130 and 132, the arm 140 may be easily and etfectively positioned, after the wall is finished, to extend outwardly from the wall 148 at whatever angle is required by a given installation, in spite of any manufacturing tolerances or imperfections which may exist in the apparatus or in the construction of the wall itself.

The upper horizontally extending portion 144 of the arm 140 is provided with one or more elongated openings 160 (see FIG. 2) for the reception of downwardly extending mounting bolts conventionally furnished with a lavatory or similar fixture with which the present carrier construction is to be used. Desirably adjacent ends of the openings 160 are provided with transverse edges 162 and 164, so that some portion of one of the openings 160 will be in vertical alignment with an attachment bolt extending downwardly from the fixture regardless of where such downwardly extending bolt may be located in a particular fixture used. Desirably a leveling screw 166 (see FIG. 1), is provided at the outermost end of the arm 140.

Accordingly it will be seen that there is here provided improved construction for the support of fixtures and similar apparatus adapted to extend outwardly from a wall. Although a principal purpose and use of the invention is for the support of a lavatory fixture, and the invention has been herein so described and illustrated, nevertheless it will be understood that the present constructions are adaptable for use in the support of other equipment as well.

Modifications and changes from the specific forms of the invention hereinabove described and illustrated will occur to those skilled in the art, and are intended to be embraced in the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In combination with a plumbing fixture supported from a vertical wall, a fixture carrier comprising: a vertical, rigid mounting plate adapted to be rigidly secured within the wall; a plurality of horizontal, threaded, fastening studs adjustably mounted on said plate and adapted to extend beyond the face of the wall; a horizontally disposed carrier arm adapted to be supported at one end elongated fastening elements extending between and adthereof from the vertical wall and carried on the ends of 7 said fastening studs by a vertical mounting flange rigidly secured to and spaced from said one end of the carrier arm to provide at least one exterior access opening be tween the vertical mounting flange and the face of the wall; and locking nuts threadedly engaging the threaded portions of said fastening studs on either side of said mounting flange for firmly positioning and holding said one end of the carrier arm against the face of the vertical wall, whereby the locking nuts within the space between the vertical wall and mounting flange are easily accessible through said access opening for adjustment.

2. In a combination as stated in claim 1, wherein said fastening studs include a pair of vertically aligned studs and a stud offset laterally from said other two studs whereby the carrier arm can be adjusted at various angles with the vertical wall independent of any imperfections in the wall.

3. A fixture carrier for use in building construction having a plurality of vertically extending horizontally spaced structural members comprising: a mounting plate of rigid material having a plurality of openings formed therethrough arranged in horizontally disposed rows; means for attaching the mounting plate to vertical structural members including fastening members engageable with selected ones of said openings; a mounting member justably fixed to said mounting member and mounting flange, and adjustable locking means on either side of said vertically disposed mounting flange for adjustably mounting the fixture carrier on said elongated fastening elements, whereby said adjustable locking means within the space between the finished wall line, and the vertically disposed flange are easily accessible for adjustment through said access opening.

4. The invention as stated in claim 3 wherein two of said elongated fastening elements are in substantially vertical alignment and a third is laterally spaced therefrom whereby the fixture carrier can be adjusted at various angles with the vertical wall line independent of any imperfections in the wall.

5. In a fixture carrier: an elongated L-section shaped carrier arm having integrally formed angularly related portions terminating inwardly in intersecting edges abuttable against a wall and a mounting flange fixed to said portions and disposed substantially parallel to the plane of said edges and spaced at least about two inches therefrom to form at least one access opening between said mounting flange and said intersecting edges and the wall against which said intersecting edges are adapted to abut, said flange having openings formed therethrough for receiving elongated support members.

6. The invention as stated in claim 5 wherein said openings are vertically elongated and include a pair of vertically aligned openings.

7. The invention as stated in claim 6 wherein said flange includes a third opening horizontally displaced from said vertically aligned openings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,394,302 Hinsdale et a1. Oct. 18, 1921 1,999,467 Lucke Apr. 30, 1935 2,264,082 Kintz Nov. 25, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 10,604 Great Britain Apr. 29, 1910 

